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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2003
Hopkins' CCP and Save the Children Work With Local Groups in
Malawi to Implement $5.3-Million HIV/AIDS Prevention Program
BALTIMORE- A new HIV/AIDS prevention program in Malawi known as "The Bridge" will engage local organizations and stakeholders to move Malawians to a more healthy future by promoting practices and behaviors that prevent the spread of HIV.
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (CCP) and Save the Children are providing technical assistance and strengthening the capacity of local organizations in this $5.3-million program supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to reduce high-risk behaviors among Malawians. The Bridge will engage Malawians to move from knowing about HIV/AIDS to taking action to prevent transmission of HIV. It is also designed to help communities move from the present to a more hopeful future where they become producers of their own health.
"We cannot win this war against AIDS in Africa without continued investment in behavior change approaches," said CCP Director Jane T. Bertrand, PhD, MBA. "USAID and our Malawian counterparts recognize the challenges, but all are firmly committed to an intensified effort to engage Malawians in protecting themselves and reducing the risk of transmission to others."
CCP and Save the Children will collaborate with Malawi stakeholders in implementing this program with the goal of promoting the open discussion of HIV/AIDS among partners, children, and peers. The program also aims to impart a sense of hope and efficacy among Malawians and give them the skills to prevent HIV/AIDS. Specifically, the Bridge team will assist Malawian stakeholders to:
- Create an enabling environment at the national level;
- Mobilize social systems at the district and community levels through a grants program, and
- Reach individual targets of opportunity, including high-risk groups, low-risk groups, and those that bridge the two, through a range of innovative approaches such as radio drama, sports interventions, and youth events.
"The Malawi program is both a challenge and an opportunity," said Kirsten Böse, Chief of Party for the Bridge in Malawi. "A challenge because as the pandemic has unfolded, it has exposed entrenched behaviors that require all of our creativity and hard work to change. An opportunity because we are confident that the Bridge approach will help turn the tide in Malawi."
Justin Opoku, field office director of Save the Children in Malawi agreed. "Combining our 20 years of experience in Malawi with CCP's decades of behavior change experience in Africa gives us an excellent chance for success."
With representatives in more than 30 countries, Johns Hopkins' CCP is a pioneer in the field of strategic, research-based communication programs for behavior change and health promotion that have helped transform the theory and practice of public health communication. In Africa, CCP operates in 16 countries, 12 of which have substantial HIV/AIDS programs.
Save the Children is a preeminent provider of development and humanitarian assistance worldwide, implementing grants and contracts for the U.S. government and/or other donors for more than half a century. Active in 45 countries, Save the Children is recognized internationally for its capacity to mobilize communities, reach disadvantaged populations, and build bridges for effective communication among communities, local organizations, and government. Save the Children has been working in Malawi since 1983.
For further information contact: Kim Martin at Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, USA. Tel: 410 659-6140; Fax: 410 659-6266 e-mail: press@jhuccp.org.
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